The invention relates to a windshield wiper assembly for use in wiping an automobile type windshield. The windshield wiper assembly is the type formerly carried by the oscillating wiper arm of the automobile which moves the blade assembly generally in an arcuate path across the windshield.
The typical automobile windshield wiper assembly is sufficient for wiping water and water soluble material from the windshield but is not effective for wiping materials from the windshield which are not water soluble such as bugs, secretions from trees, road dirt, tars, and grease and oils from automobiles.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to provide a windshield wiper blade assembly for cleaning non-water soluble materials from the windshield as well as wiping water from the windshield. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,327,457, 3,183,816, and 1,683,053. While the above attempt to provide wiping and cleaning by means of a scrubbing material between or on one side of a wiping blade, they are not entirely suitable, one reason being there is a considerable gap in the wiping blade assembly where dirt and grime can accumulate. The accumulated dirt and grime often venture down onto the windshield and cause a smear to occur.
In British Pat. No. 1,316,781 a cleaning and wiping windshield blade is disclosed having a pair of wiping elements and a scraping pad fixed between the wiping elements. However, the wiping elements are fairly rigid and do not afford sufficient flexibility in order for the wiping elements to deform and the scraping pad have sufficient force against the windshield to effectively clean the same.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper blade assembly for wiping water from a windshield and cleaning non-water soluble materials from an automobile windshield.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper blade assembly for wiping and cleaning an automobile windshield which minimizes the smear of non-water soluble materials across the windshield.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly which includes a pair of highly flexible wiping edges and a block of porous scrubbing material bonded between the wiping edges which is more compressible than the wiping edges such that the flexing of the wiping elements and cleaning by the scrubbing material is done concurrently and effectively.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a wiping blade assembly having a pair of wiping blade elements spaced apart and between which is affixed a block of scrubbing material which protrudes past the wiping edges of the blade elements to absorb a part of the force normal to the windshield and which under compression maintains contact with the windshield and provides good dimensional stability.